New therapy to reduce Headache, PTSD following brain injury

Effective treatments exist for post-traumatic stress disorder but not for post-traumatic headache, which along with traumatic brain injury, scientists are still working to understand. A new therapy is said to be the first to be developed specifically for post-traumatic headache significantly reduced related disability in veterans following a traumatic brain injury.

The innovative treatment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Headache (CBTH), was appealing to patients, showing low drop-out rates, and is easy for therapists to learn and deliver, increasing its potential to be broadly disseminated and to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of service members and veterans.   The findings of the study are reported in JAMA Neurology.

We know that migraine medications are commonly used to alleviate the headache pain but they do not relieve related disability. They also often have unwanted side effects, and their overuse can worsen headaches.

Researchers have made this major breakthrough by the development of cognitive behavior therapy in the treatment of post-traumatic headache. To find the first major treatment success for post-traumatic headache and that the treatment also significantly reduces comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms is itself a huge step forward.

Reference: McGeary DD, Resick PA, Penzien DB, et al. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Veterans With Comorbid Posttraumatic Headache and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurol. Published online June 27, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.1567.[